Glasgow, UK: Being to identify people at high risk of chronic disease means that they can be targeted with prevention measures before they become sick. Polygenic risk scores, where genomic information alone is used to assess the risk of developing diseases, have been receiving a lot of attention recently, but research presented at the annual […]
Category: Respiratory
Dangerous snoring may affect one in five people, but most sufferers do not know they have a problem
Around one in five people may be suffering with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to a study published today in ERJ Open Research [1]. People with OSA often snore loudly, their breathing starts and stops during the night, and they may wake up several times. Not only does this cause tiredness, but it can also […]
Targeted lung cancer drug shows promise in phase I/II clinical trial
Barcelona, Spain: Early trials of the targeted drug repotrectinib suggest that it could help treat patients with a certain type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The results of the TRIDENT-1 trial, which were presented at the 34th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Barcelona, Spain, suggest that repotrectinib could be […]
Long COVID patients show signs of autoimmune disease a year after infection
Blood samples from patients with long COVID who are still suffering from fatigue and shortness of breath after a year show signs of autoimmune disease, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy parts of the body, instead of defending the body […]
Smoking around your young son could raise the risk of asthma for your future grandchildren
Children are more likely to develop asthma if their father was exposed to second-hand smoke when he was a child, according to a study published in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. The study also shows that children’s risk of asthma is even higher if their father was exposed to second-hand smoke and went on to […]
Less invasive treatment for emphysema is as good as more invasive surgery: results from first randomised controlled trial comparing lung volume surgery and bronchoscopic lung volume reduction with valve placement
The first randomised controlled trial to compare two different lung volume reduction procedures for people with emphysema has found that both lead to similar improvements in lung function, breathlessness and exercise capacity. The results from the study of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) and bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BVLR), presented at the European Respiratory Society […]
Obstructive sleep apnoea linked to increased risk of cancer, a decline in mental processing powers and an increased risk of blood clots
People who suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are at an increased risk of cancer, according to a large study presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Barcelona, Spain [1]. A second study showed that OSA was also linked to a decline in processing powers in the elderly; in particular, those aged […]
Fish oil and vitamin D supplements in pregnancy lower the risk of croup in babies and young children
Babies and children under three years old are less likely to develop croup if their mothers took fish oil and vitamin D supplements during pregnancy, according to new results from a clinical trial. The findings are from a randomised controlled trial – the ‘gold standard’ for medical research – presented at the European Respiratory Society […]
Mobile phone app accurately detects COVID-19 infection in people’s voices with the help of artificial intelligence
AI also being used to develop an app to predict exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to detect COVID-19 infection in people’s voices by means of a mobile phone app, according to research to be presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Barcelona, Spain [1]. The AI […]
Teenagers more likely to vape if their parents smoke
Teenagers whose parents are smokers are 55% more likely to try e-cigarettes, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Barcelona, Spain [1]. In a large study of Irish teenagers, the researchers have also found that the proportion who have tried e-cigarettes has been increasing dramatically [2] and that although boys […]